NATCHEZ — County supervisors moved forward this week with a grant application that would help fund a new roof on the Adams County Department of Health building.

The engineering estimate of the roof replacement is $404,594. The board is seeking a Community Development Block Grant to help fund the project.

Board President Mike Lazarus said the county would be installing a new metal roof, which would also remove the building’s skylights, which leaked. Some of the estimated cost is lighting the building in absence of the skylights, Lazarus said.

“We are going to have to replace the roof anyway,” Lazarus said. “We can’t wait until it falls apart.”

Because the county anticipates installing the roof whether the grant is received or not, Lazarus said they are willing to up the match the county is providing to as much as approximately 62 percent of the total cost, or $250,000.

The first resolution approved was to match up to $250,000.

Southwest Mississippi Planning and Development District planner Allen Laird said a 50-50 match would put the application within the range of projects that were funded last year, but near the bottom of the range.

Meanwhile, Laird said providing a match of approximately $240,000 would put the project within the middle to upper range of projects that were funded last year.

“It’s still not a guarantee, but it increases the odds greatly,” Laird said.

Lazarus said he believes the county has a good chance to be funded, but with fears stemming from President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts to the CDBG program, more communities could submit grant applications this year.

The second resolution was to set aside $1,000 per year to go toward maintenance on the roof, which is required in the application.

County Administrator Joe Murray said the new roof would be under warranty for 15 to 20 years, and the county would not likely spend any money on the roof while it is under warranty.

The next step is to turn in the application and wait to learn if the project is funded or not, Lazarus said.

City officials had previously asked for a letter of support for the city’s CDBG Vaughn Drive Fire Station project. Lazarus said Wednesday he signed the letter and that the city also provided a letter of support for the county’s roof project.